Sudan: Dozens of people died in gold mine collapse

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Villagers on the edge of the collapsed Darsaja mine

Photo:

- / AFP

31 bodies have already been recovered, the chance of finding survivors in the rubble seems slim.

At least 38 people died when a gold mine collapsed in Sudan.

The exact number of people buried is unclear, said Ismael Tissou, a spokesman for the Sudanese Mineral Resource Society of the dpa news agency.

The mine in the province of West Kordofan collapsed on Sunday, Tissou said.

According to the AP news agency, the accident occurred in the Darsaja mine, about 700 kilometers south of the capital Khartoum.

Photos showed people gathering on the edge of the mine.

The search for survivors continued on Wednesday.

AP reported, citing the Mineral Resource Company, that the mine was no longer in operation.

However, gold diggers from the region were on the site after it was no longer guarded by security forces.

The export of gold is of great importance for the country with 44 million inhabitants.

In 2018 Sudan exported 93 tons of gold.

Many gold mines in the country are operated semi-legally and do not meet current safety standards.

That is why accidents happen again and again.

Armed men loot food depots of the World Food Program

In the east of Sudan, an armed group has looted a warehouse belonging to the World Food Program (WFP) with almost 2,000 tons of food aid.

A WFP representative told the AFP news agency that it is currently being evaluated how much has been stolen from the warehouse in the Darfur region in western Sudan.

A local resident reported that numerous shots could be heard in the east of Al-Fascher in north Darfur on Tuesday evening.

According to the official Suna news agency, a night curfew was imposed on the town after the looting.

Humanitarian aid should "never" be a target, said the vice-chief of the UN mission in Sudan, Khardiata Lo N'diaye.

Every third person in the country is dependent on humanitarian aid.

fek / dpa / AP / AFP